Police launch public consultation on budget cuts

A public consultation has been launched by Cumbria Constabulary and the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner today (27 October), which will give people in Cumbria the opportunity to have their say on frontline services.

Last month Cumbria Constabulary announced a number of areas which are to be reviewed as part of an ongoing need to make financial savings.

Cumbria Constabulary has already delivered savings of £16 million since 2010/11 by restructuring and changing the way the force works whilst protecting the frontline as much as possible. However, the force continues to face major financial challenges and current budget forecasts show that a further £11.8 million needs to be saved by 2017/18. As the government’s next round of funding allocation draws closer, it is likely that this figure will increase and further savings will be required.

The public consultation will cover areas which will affect local people (i.e. frontline services). This includes:

·         How we engage with the public

·         Police community support officers (PCSOs)

·         Front counter services

Chief Constable Jerry Graham said, “This is the ideal opportunity for people in Cumbria to have their say and influence the ongoing reviews. We are keen to hear people’s thoughts, and I would encourage people to fill in the survey and consider how they want policing services to look in the future.

“Change is required due to budget cuts. Previously we have focused on making savings through reducing management and reviewing administration costs, while protecting the frontline as much as possible. We will continue to look at how we can make savings in back office functions, however currently 85% of our costs are on staffing and therefore it is unfortunately inevitable that the majority of future savings may have to be found in operational areas of the business. This will mean a reduction of officer and staff numbers.

“Difficult decisions now need to be made – do people want officers or front counters? How can we best use PCSOs? We are keen to get people’s views on these areas to help us to make these challenging choices. We are also looking at innovative digital and mobile methods of working to help officers remain visible and accessible in their communities.

“I will continue to work hard to keep Cumbria one of the safest places to live, work, and visit, and provide the best possible policing service we can afford.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes said, “This is a great opportunity for the public to let the Constabulary and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner know their views about the future of policing in the county.  There are some tough decisions to be made and it is important the people’s views are known before changes begin.”

Over 4,000 paper surveys, as well as posters and flyers informing people of the consultation have been distributed across the county across a number of organisations (such as selected doctors surgeries, leisure facilities, and libraries), so that the Constabulary can reach as many individuals as possible and receive a representative view across the county.

Members of the public can also request a paper survey by calling 101, or they can fill it in online on the Constabulary’s website: www.cumbria.police.uk

Paper copies will also be available at Police Desks across the county. For your local Police Desk please visit: www.cumbria.police.uk/policedesks

The deadline for responses is 7^th November for paper surveys and 14^th November for online surveys.